Ready-To-Wear vs Bespoke Engagement Rings: Which Is Right For You?
Choosing an engagement ring is one of the most exciting milestones in a relationship, and understanding the difference between ready-to-wear and bespoke rings is essential to making the right decision. As you approach this momentous occasion in your life, there are many things you’ll have to consider.
A bespoke engagement ring is more than just a piece of jewellery; it is a symbol of your love and should last a lifetime. Ready-to-wear rings are pre-designed pieces available for immediate purchase, while bespoke engagement rings are crafted from scratch with your input. The best choice for you depends on your timeline, budget, personal taste, and desire to be involved in the creation process.
Bear Brooksbank is a luxury fine jewellery brand based in Shoreditch, East London. At Bear Brooksbank, we specialise in both bespoke and ready-to-wear engagement rings alongside family heirloom remodelling and vintage-driven designs. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can decide on whether to purchase ready-to-wear or bespoke engagement rings, highlighting the appeal of each option and giving you all the information that you need to make a final decision.
What Are Bespoke Engagement Rings?
A bespoke engagement ring is a unique, custom-made engagement ring created from scratch. The process of creating a bespoke engagement ring is a collaborative one between you and an expert jewellery designer. This is the go-to choice for people who want a one-of-a-kind engagement ring that perfectly represents their personal taste and style.
With a bespoke engagement ring, you have the opportunity to collaborate with a designer to create a ring that reflects your unique connection with your partner and embark on the experience of creating it together. The ring will mirror your story, and the designer is there to help you make smart design choices. The process involves several steps: a consultation, an initial design process, the CAD (computer-aided design), the manufacturing process and the presentation of your finished piece.
Crafting bespoke engagement rings may take approximately 6 to 12 weeks. A bespoke ring can feature birthstones, symbols, personal motifs, engravings, and more. These rings hold particular significance because of the story behind them. For couples seeking an engagement ring that uniquely and intentionally represents their story, designing a bespoke ring from the beginning is the way forward.
While generally more expensive, the creative freedom and individuality that you get from choosing bespoke engagement rings is often the best way to create something that holds deep sentimental value for you and your partner.
What Are Ready-To-Wear Engagement Rings?
A ready-to-wear or off-the-shelf engagement ring is a pre-designed piece that is ready and available for purchase. You don’t have to go through a design process or offer input into its creation. All that you have to do is review your options and pick a piece that appeals to your personal taste and style.
These fully finished rings are available in various styles, such as solitaire, halo, three-stone, vintage, gypsy ring, target ring and Georgian cut-down. While bespoke engagement rings offer more control over the final design, not everyone wants to be involved in this process. Ready-to-wear pieces provide beautifully crafted rings without the need to commission a bespoke item.
This is especially useful for people who have fallen in love with a piece of Bear Brooksbank jewellery. It allows you to purchase a ring with a design that you already adore, and you’ll still get the quality and excellence that Bear Brooksbank is known for.
We are willing to make minor modifications, such as resizing, engraving, or changing the centre stone, so you still have some freedom to add a personal touch.
A ready-to-wear ring may not have the uniqueness of a bespoke engagement ring, but there are still many professionally crafted styles to choose from. Additionally, you get the advantage of seeing exactly what you are purchasing beforehand.
Bear Brooksbank offers a huge array of signature rings. This collection showcases some of the best Bear Brooksbank designs over the years, fully encapsulating the incredible design, craftsmanship and joy that goes into every ring. Each piece has been thoughtfully designed in the Shoreditch Studio where the highest standards are maintained.
Key Considerations Before Choosing
So, how exactly do you go about deciding between bespoke engagement rings or ready-to-wear engagement rings? The choice is a deeply personal one, and different people prefer different things. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when making that final decision:
Timeline
Your expected timeline can play a major role in your final decision. Anyone who needs an engagement ring quickly is much more suited to choosing a ready-to-wear ring. You don’t have to wait through the process of designing and manufacturing the engagement ring, and can instead choose from a selection of ready-to-purchase pieces. Ready-to-wear rings are ideal for tight timelines. These designs are immediately available and uphold the same standards as bespoke engagement rings.
For those who want to invest time into something truly personal, opting for a bespoke engagement ring can be incredibly rewarding. By taking the time to carefully design a ring that truly reflects the depth of your connection and the intricacies of your story, you can turn the ring-making process into a memory of its own. These rings will forever symbolise your bond, so adding that personal touch for sentimental value makes a lot of sense.
Budget
Your set budget will, of course, also play its part in which route you may choose to go. While the prices of engagement rings can vary greatly, purchasing a ready-to-wear piece is generally more affordable than opting for a ring created from scratch.
Many factors affect the price of a ring, such as the centre stone, metal type, design complexity, and setting style. Additional considerations, like ethical sourcing certifications, the reputation of the designer and the level of customisation work, can also add to the final price of a ring.
Value for money is what you’ll need to ruminate over. If adding personal flair is something that you and your partner cherish, spending a little extra is always worth it. Your engagement ring is a symbol of your love, and what better way to showcase that than by investing in a custom-made piece from an expert designer who helps bring your ideas to life.
Sentimentality
For some couples, the engagement ring should be more than just a symbol of commitment. Every relationship has a story, and many couples want that story reflected in their engagement rings. If sentimental value means a lot to you, going for bespoke engagement rings gives you the unique opportunity to weave your story into your ring.
For example, adding a specific birthstone, choosing specific colours, and engraving a message or sign into the ring are all ways that you can make the ring more relevant to you and your partner’s story. You can even reintegrate a family heirloom into your design, preserving a piece of history and heritage in your everlasting symbol of love.
While ready-made rings offer room for minor tweaks, bespoke engagement rings give you much more freedom to turn memories and stories into physical design elements. If you are hoping to one day pass the ring down or add personal history to the piece, this route offers lasting emotional resonance.
Personal Taste
When it comes to luxury jewellery, personal taste is sometimes the deciding factor. Your partner’s style should be at the forefront of your mind when you’re on the search for the right engagement ring.
There are plenty of timeless, classic designs that still appeal to couples today, such as the single diamond set as a solitaire on a plain gold band or diamond halo ring. If you’re leaning towards purchasing something along these lines, you may be able to find exactly what you’re looking for by browsing through a selection of fine, ready-to-wear luxury engagement rings.
With so many styles and cuts available, you can find plenty of unusual and unique pieces. For those who want something that never goes out of style, ready-to-wear pieces are more than enough. Alternatively, if you are drawn to highly personalised designs, a bespoke engagement ring gives you the freedom to explore creative ideas that go beyond the expected, free from convention and in reflection of your personal tastes and story.
For example, you may prefer something ultra minimalist or perhaps you want an art deco aesthetic. With bespoke engagement rings, you can create something that serves as an extension of your bond, personality or identity instead of choosing from pre-made styles.
Can You Have the Best of Both?
A semi-bespoke ring is essentially the middle ground between bespoke engagement rings and ready-to-wear pieces. Often, jewellers allow you to customise pre-made rings. While limited, you may still be able to adjust elements like the metal type, centre stone, or engravings. This is a quicker and often more affordable route than opting for a full bespoke ring, as jewellers are not starting from scratch but rather working off an already existing ring.
We offer signature collections that are designed for this exact flexibility. You can enjoy the benefits of thoughtful craftsmanship without needing to go through the full design process. Our signature rings give you a chance to choose from some of the best and most loved Bear Brooksbank designs over the years. At the heart of every Bear Brooksbank ring is intelligent design, skilled craftsmanship and lasting quality.
Why Choose Bear Brooksbank?
Bear Brooksbank is the eponymous fine jewellery studio founded by designer and gemmologist Bear Brooksbank. Since the earliest days of her childhood, Bear has been fascinated by the earth’s precious metals. Trained at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Bear Brooksbank founded her namesake brand in East London in 2012.
Since 2012, Bear Brooksbank has specialised in bespoke and commission-based projects while also offering a wide selection of ready-to-wear fine jewellery pieces that you can purchase on the spot. Bear, herself, draws inspiration from vintage treasures of the past to create timeless contemporary masterpieces. Bear’s East London heritage also runs deep, with her roots going back nine generations.
Here are our key services at Bear Brooksbank:
Bespoke Design: We offer full bespoke design services for engagement rings and a range of other specially made pieces adjusted to your budget and brief. From the sourcing of stones to the finished piece, we take care of the full process. Feel free to browse through our bespoke guide to learn more.
Remodelling and Reworking: We offer redesigning and remodelling services for existing pieces of jewellery. From family heirlooms to old birthday gifts, we can transform your old jewellery into something unique and personal. We can offer full design guidance or work with your initial ideas. Find out more here.
Wedding Rings and Eternity Rings: We have a wide selection of wedding and eternity rings available in our Bridal Collection. We also offer made-to-order signet rings with surface or seal engraving to meet your requirements.
Ready-To-Wear Jewellery: Our large collection of ready-to-wear pieces is available to view online or in person by appointment from our Shoreditch Showroom. The collection features pieces designed by Bear herself as well as our prized vintage collection, consisting of a curated selection of pre-loved pieces.
Jewellery Repairs: We also offer ring re-sizing, annual jewellery MOTs, pearl stringing, jewellery restoration work, stone resetting, stone polishing, re-cutting, and more.
Valuations and Advice: In addition to the traditional insurance valuation, Bear offers a fully tailored jewellery advice service, covering how much jewellery is worth, how best to sell certain pieces, how to divide up fairly between family members, and more. Get in touch for more details.
Final Thoughts
Bear Brooksbank is at the forefront of all things fine jewellery. Whether you need a ready-to-wear piece or want a bespoke engagement ring, we have the expertise, experience and tools to assist. Across our 17+ years in the industry, our clients always walk away happy.
With a deep East London heritage and a reputation for offering some of the finest and most unique pieces in all of the UK, we can help you find or create exactly what you want. In need of luxury or vintage jewellery? Explore our ready-to-wear and bespoke collections online or book to visit our Shoreditch showroom today.